Spaniard Alcaraz Wins Paris Masters Title

Spanish player Carlos Alcaraz claimed the title of the Paris Masters tennis tournament after defeating American Ben Shelton in the final, avenging his earlier loss to Shelton in the quarterfinals of the US Open and securing his ninth title at the 1,000-point level.

World No. 3 Alcaraz dominated the match from the baseline, becoming the first Spaniard to win the title since David Ferrer in 2012, while Shelton was frustrated by errors in his forehand strokes.

Alcaraz said, “Today’s match was one of the toughest challenges we face in the current tennis world, facing Ben Shelton. He is improving with every tournament, so his matches are getting tougher. I am really happy that I found the path to victory.”

Alcaraz saved six break points and failed to convert two opportunities in a tightly contested first set that went to a tiebreak, where Shelton hit three balls out, allowing the Spaniard to take the set.

World No. 4 Shelton capitalized on Alcaraz’s double faults and inaccurate shots to take a 3-2 lead in the second set, extending his advantage with two powerful serves in the next game.

However, Alcaraz broke back to level the score at 4-4, hitting two strong cross-court shots while Shelton made a forehand error and hit another shot out.

With Alcaraz leading 6-5, Shelton stumbled again while serving to stay in the match, committing two forehand errors before the seven-time Grand Slam champion sealed the victory with a precise backhand down the line.

After finally winning the Paris Masters in his sixth attempt, Alcaraz said, “This is something I have been striving to achieve for a long time.”